I read it as a reference to the "Not a Villain" webcomic. http://www.navcomic.com and the character Dude (real name Brandon), the Cardista. (Kind of a summoner.)
And I think you're right! Shumuckers to you for showing me this very good webcomic!
[...] After all, why spend dozens, or even hundreds, of turns trying to gain an Archery special when your ruler can just pop a bunch of archer units?
Since units pop with so much relevant knowledge they didn't earn the hard way, I doubt many would see the merits of trying to train skills they weren't popped with. After all, if the Titans meant for them to do something, they'd have popped with that special, right? As such, there is a distinct lack of any drive to learn among most units, regardless of their popped intellect, and more than that there appears to be a complete lack of competent instructors to teach skills a unit does not possess natural talent for.
My own speculation is that a unit cannot learn a new Special without magical intervention.
Possible counterexample: Archons have varied specials from a set, and seem to gain additional specials as they level up.
I'll also note, it's possible to level up through training. I've previously speculated that units might be able to gain a special (with some probability) by spending sufficient time to level up training in a special they currently lack. Of course, since leveling up by sheer dint of training is a drag, even if it were possible doing it with expensive bullets to gain the "Archery Specialist: Pistol" (or Rifle) would be prohibitive in terms of time and juice.
Testing this theory would be less expensive using six stacks of fresh-popped stabbers and a pile of throwing bricks trying to acquire "Archery Specialist: Brick". It would be cheaper still (and vastly faster) for Parson to test it by asking his Mathamancy bracer what the chance of it working would be.
Yeah, once they rescue Wanda Parson's bracer is going to have a HUGE backlog of calculations to do so as to clarify their overall strategy.
It would help a lot if Marie, Ivan, and Claud come out of this intact. From a narrative perspective I don't see how they wouldn't, Ivan and Claud could have been allowed to depop if they were just going to die (or be trapped forever) under bedrock.
Possible counterexample: Archons have varied specials from a set, and seem to gain additional specials as they level up.
I'd argue that Archons actually indicate the opposite: That they gain further specials at all is something Archon-specific, and it's restricted to a limited list of specials.
So, only some unit types can learn additional specials, but even then only a few unit-specific ones, not just any special. Archery Special: Gun/Pistol/Rifle is on no units' list, so no unit could pop or otherwise gain it.
At least that's my take on it, there's no canon one way or another concerning it so far.
Well, we know that archons can gain specials from leveling, but we don't know that this is unique to archons. It's worth mentioning particularly, so it is probably unusual compared to most other units. But we know that casters can level and gain competencies outside of their core discipline, it seems the leadership special can be conferred by appointment to warlord/lady status, but perhaps it has to already be gained by leveling.
One interesting thought I've been having is that the various civilian buildings that a warlord or courtier can 'manage' might be upgraded in a manner similar to what was done with Jed. I was thinking of upgrading a smithy or whatever to make guns automatically, or the bank to allow it to carry out most routine moneymancy for a side, but the limitations on what cities can pop you mentioned make me wonder if there isn't something you could upgrade to allow a city to pop additional new unit types as well.
Like, maybe parson could pick out a likely looking building and have a link work on it to allow the city to pop redneck militia or something. Just hope they aren't all rebs...that could get sticky.
Except that Janis didn't capture Wanda nor does she directly control her prison, so she only hold's status as gaoler when she's actually physically present and charged with guarding Wanda. Which is currently not the case.
Anyway, the latest updates suggest that whatever Marie cast, it's something useful to her entry into ICFYS's portal, presumably something that helped her get to the portal and/or something that is helping her on the other side. And yet we still don't know what....
Perhaps she's auto-repatriated decrypted in the same area as her...though in that case what about all the ones lined up for execution? Maybe she has to be closer, maybe the spell has a persistent effect, maybe it's not an escape spell. I'm still thinking it allows her to apply her caster levels as a bonus to decrypted as if she was a Croakamancer, cause she's going into combat. Could be Carnymancy that prevents her from being impeded, or Foolamancy to trick attackers into missing....
Maybe it just makes her eyes glow in an unsettling way. Rule of Cool.
No, he's just a dude.
I read it as a reference to the "Not a Villain" webcomic. http://www.navcomic.com and the character Dude (real name Brandon), the Cardista. (Kind of a summoner.)
And I think you're right! Shumuckers to you for showing me this very good webcomic!
Speculation:
[...] After all, why spend dozens, or even hundreds, of turns trying to gain an Archery special when your ruler can just pop a bunch of archer units?
Since units pop with so much relevant knowledge they didn't earn the hard way, I doubt many would see the merits of trying to train skills they weren't popped with. After all, if the Titans meant for them to do something, they'd have popped with that special, right? As such, there is a distinct lack of any drive to learn among most units, regardless of their popped intellect, and more than that there appears to be a complete lack of competent instructors to teach skills a unit does not possess natural talent for.
My own speculation is that a unit cannot learn a new Special without magical intervention.
Possible counterexample: Archons have varied specials from a set, and seem to gain additional specials as they level up.
I'll also note, it's possible to level up through training. I've previously speculated that units might be able to gain a special (with some probability) by spending sufficient time to level up training in a special they currently lack. Of course, since leveling up by sheer dint of training is a drag, even if it were possible doing it with expensive bullets to gain the "Archery Specialist: Pistol" (or Rifle) would be prohibitive in terms of time and juice.
Testing this theory would be less expensive using six stacks of fresh-popped stabbers and a pile of throwing bricks trying to acquire "Archery Specialist: Brick". It would be cheaper still (and vastly faster) for Parson to test it by asking his Mathamancy bracer what the chance of it working would be.
It would help a lot if Marie, Ivan, and Claud come out of this intact. From a narrative perspective I don't see how they wouldn't, Ivan and Claud could have been allowed to depop if they were just going to die (or be trapped forever) under bedrock.
So, only some unit types can learn additional specials, but even then only a few unit-specific ones, not just any special. Archery Special: Gun/Pistol/Rifle is on no units' list, so no unit could pop or otherwise gain it.
At least that's my take on it, there's no canon one way or another concerning it so far.
One interesting thought I've been having is that the various civilian buildings that a warlord or courtier can 'manage' might be upgraded in a manner similar to what was done with Jed. I was thinking of upgrading a smithy or whatever to make guns automatically, or the bank to allow it to carry out most routine moneymancy for a side, but the limitations on what cities can pop you mentioned make me wonder if there isn't something you could upgrade to allow a city to pop additional new unit types as well.
Like, maybe parson could pick out a likely looking building and have a link work on it to allow the city to pop redneck militia or something. Just hope they aren't all rebs...that could get sticky.
Marie's scroll is to free prisoners, but she needs to touch a target, that is, Janis!
Marie's scroll is to free prisoners, but she needs to touch a target, that is, Janis!
Janis isn't a prisoner and hasn't been caught breaking rules yet.
Marie's scroll is to free prisoners, but she needs to touch a target, that is, Janis!
Janis isn't a prisoner and hasn't been caught breaking rules yet.
My guess with Shard's logic is that Janis is Wanda's, and the decrypted's, gaoler. That's why Marie would need to touch Janis.
Anyway, the latest updates suggest that whatever Marie cast, it's something useful to her entry into ICFYS's portal, presumably something that helped her get to the portal and/or something that is helping her on the other side. And yet we still don't know what....
Perhaps she's auto-repatriated decrypted in the same area as her...though in that case what about all the ones lined up for execution? Maybe she has to be closer, maybe the spell has a persistent effect, maybe it's not an escape spell. I'm still thinking it allows her to apply her caster levels as a bonus to decrypted as if she was a Croakamancer, cause she's going into combat. Could be Carnymancy that prevents her from being impeded, or Foolamancy to trick attackers into missing....
Maybe it just makes her eyes glow in an unsettling way. Rule of Cool.
Totally worth spent 10 grand on that. Who wants to promote units into knights when you can just look cool?